Gary Mabbutt today hit back at Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp's claim that it may not be in the club's best interests to qualify for the Europa League.
Spurs are at Eastlands tonight playing a Manchester City side who are six points above them in the battle for the coverted fourth Champions League spot.
Three points for Spurs would not only close that gap but also leapfrog them above Liverpool and into a Europa League position, despite Redknapp last week saying qualification for that competition could hinder their league campaign.
But Mabbutt, a UEFA Cup winner with Spurs in 1984, believes Tottenham should relish any opportunity they get to play in European competition.
"Being part of European competition is vitally important," he said.
"There may be no European football at White Hart Lane next season and what's the guarantee there will be after that?
"I've never heard a player say he has too many games, as a player you want to have as many as you can. It's important to play a lot, keep continuity, keep confidence.
"I don't necessarily agree with Harry on that one. Playing in European competition is very special."
And Mabbutt went on to say that Tottenham fans shouldn't rule out the possibility that Manchester City may slip up in their quest to reach Europe's premier competition for the first time.
"It's a long shot for us to get that fourth place but the pressure is on Man City. They have spent a lot of money and I'm sure the owners want a return on their investment," he said.
"Our recent form hasn't been Champions League form and that's frustrating."
Gary Mabbutt, an ESPN FA Cup ambassador and lead ESPN football analyst, was speaking from the broadcaster's grassroots FA Cup Final between youth teams from Manchester and Stoke. ESPN's all-day coverage of the FA Cup Final is live from Wembley from 8am on May 14. ESPN's coverage will be ad-free during the match and is available in 3D on Sky 3D.
